There will always be charlatans and wolves and false teachers in this world, trying to get you to cross over the bridge of compromise and join them. From the beginning of time, there has been a LIE and a TRUTH available for ALL to choose. But time is running out, and there is only One way, One truth, One choice…. to save you from an eternal darkness you cannot see or fathom. What you choose in this lifetime will determine your eternal destination. It is the most important decision you will ever make. Will you be saved?
Question: “How can I be saved?”
Answer: This simple, yet profound, question is the most important question that can be asked. “How can I be saved?” deals with where we will spend eternity after our lives in this world are over. There is no more important issue than our eternal destiny. Thankfully, the Bible is abundantly clear on how a person can be saved. The Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Paul and Silas responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
How can I be saved? Why do I need to be saved?
We are all infected with sin (Romans 3:23). We are born with sin (Psalm 51:5), and we all personally choose to sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20; 1 John 1:8). Sin is what makes us unsaved. Sin is what separates us from God. Sin is what has us on the path to eternal destruction.
How can I be saved? Saved from what?
Because of our sin, we all deserve death (Romans 6:23). While the physical consequence of sin is physical death, that is not the only kind of death that results from sin. All sin is ultimately committed against an eternal and infinite God (Psalm 51:4). Because of that, the just penalty for our sin is also eternal and infinite. What we need to be saved from is eternal destruction (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:15).
God Our Mother is a new song by husband and wife musicians Michael and Lisa Gungor. According to their website…
God our Mother is part of an experimental art collective known as ‘The Liturgists.’ The contemplative music is written by Michael and Lisa Gungor in collaboration with Rachel Held Evans and Rob Bell, among others.
Created in honor of Mother’s Day, God our Mother is a liturgy that explores both the scriptures that speak of God in a maternal context and the limits of human language in describing an infinite God.
God Our Mother includes an apophatic contemplative meditation. Apophatic disciplines seek to push beyond language and rational thinking in the context of God’s Holiness, and can be very powerful. For this reason, we recommend that spiritual practices like apophaticism are best moderated through scripture, tradition, and some form of spiritual community.
Listen to the song featuring Nichole Nordeman and Lisa Gungor, here:
Lyrics:
God our Father
Giver of daily bread
Blessing our hands and covering our heads
God our Mother
Leading us into peace
Drawing and comforting all those in need
Hallowed, hallowed be thy name
Hallowed, hallowed be thy name
Hallowed, hallowed be thy name in all the earth
On his website, Michael Gungor also tells his readers that…
“he went on a “spiritual pilgrimage” in September 2010 that incorporated a week to Italy and a week to Spain. Gungor states: ”The first week was a week of silence and meditation at a spiritual retreat that I found by googling ‘best spiritual retreats in the world.’” He said that he went on this pilgrimage because he was “on the brink” and “didn’t really know what [he] believed in.” Gungor began his journey with a trip to the Vatican where he heard the Pope speak: “not a bad way to start out my spiritual journey. Made me want to be Catholic actually.” After this, Gungor caught a flight to Assisi and on the flight he ”listened to a couple Rob Bell sermons on [his] ipod.” Gungor explains that the retreat was ”a cross religious retreat, so they had statues of Mary in the room next to a Buddha next to a Hindu something or other.” Part of the week of silence included times called “prayer movements,” where participants ”slowly wav[ed] [their] arms around, turning in circles and kneeling in the grass . . . It was a lot of ‘now the river that gave us everything is taking everything back’ kind of stuff.””
What do the Bible, “The Hunger Games” and “Fifty Shades of Grey” have in common? All three are works of fiction, according to the booksellers at Costco.
Pastor Caleb Kaltenbach made that shocking discovery last Friday as he was shopping for a present for his wife at a Costco in Simi Valley, Calif.
“All the Bibles were labeled as fiction,” the pastor told me. “It seemed bizarre to me.”
There is much talk in evangelical churches today about spiritual direction, the divine office, Benedict’s Rule, monasticism, journaling, fasting, and many other such practices that are supposed to help the Christian hear the voice of God. But is spiritual direction biblical? Or is it an act of futility that has no basis in Scripture whatsoever?
Roman Catholicism teaches a different way to salvation than the Bible.
CANON 9: “If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema.”
Scriptures to refute this position:
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin,” (Rom. 3:20).
“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (Rom. 3:24).
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law,” (Rom. 3:28).
“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness,” (Rom. 4:3).
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Rom. 5:1).
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,” (Eph. 2:8).
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost,” (Titus 3:5).
Find these and more reasons to believe what the Bible teaches on justification here:
Answer: The issue of Catholics praying to saints is one that is full of confusion. It is the official position of the Roman Catholic Church that Catholics do not pray TO saints or Mary, but rather that Catholics can ask saints or Mary to pray FOR them. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that asking saints for their prayers is no different than asking someone here on earth to pray for us. However, the practice of many Catholics diverges from official Roman Catholic teaching. Many Catholics do in fact pray directly to saints and/or Mary, asking them for help – instead of asking the saints and/or Mary to intercede with God for help. Whatever the case, whether a saint or Mary is being prayed to, or asked to pray, neither practice has any biblical basis.
The Bible nowhere instructs believers in Christ to pray to anyone other than God. The Bible nowhere encourages, or even mentions, believers asking individuals in heaven for their prayers. Why, then, do many Catholics pray to Mary and/or the saints, or request their prayers?
“It is not only smart, but also scriptural to ask others to pray for you (Col 4:3, James 5:16). However, Mary and the saints are human beings who are deceased. If you are asking them to intercede on your behalf, then you are assuming they are in a position to hear your requests. That deifies them with a godlike ability, and your request is a prayer. The Bible instructs us to pray for others (who are alive) and ask others (who are alive) to pray for us.”
– Praying to the Saints, Purgatory, and the Apocrypha
CONTENDER MINISTRIES RESPONSE http://www.contenderministries.org/mail/purgatorysaints.php
34Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Man Arrested Outside Calif. DMV for Reading His Bible Out Loud
When Mark Mackey, a member of the local Calvary Chapel, showed up to the DMV office in Hemet, CA on February 2, he had a goal: read the Bible and introduce those waiting in line to the “gospel of Jesus Christ.” And for about 15 minutes he was successful. That is until a California Highway Patrolman took the Bible from his hands, arrested him, and told him he was guilty of preaching to a “captive audience.”
“…you can’t escape the reality of hell or final judgment in Scripture. It’s a topic taken up by every New Testament writer and it dominates the teaching of Jesus. Of the 12 times the Greek word for hell (Gehenna) is used in the New Testament, 11 come from the lips of Christ. He said the most about hell, so to deny the existence of hell is to deny the teachings of Jesus.
But as you know, false teachers are more subtle than to deny the doctrine outright. They just raise questions, questions like: Is hell really a literal place where unbelievers suffer eternal, conscious punishment, or merely a state of mind? Does hell really last forever, or will God annihilate unbelievers? Is the fate of unbelievers really sealed forever, or will God give them a post-mortem opportunity to believe the gospel—and escape hell?”
MSNBC HOST DECLARES REVELATION “A WORK OF FICTION”
MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell said last week on his program: “The Book of Revelation is a work of fiction describing how a truly vicious God would bring about the end of the world. No half-smart religious person actually believes the Book of Revelation. They are certain that their God would never turn into a malicious torturer and mass murderer beyond Hitler’s wildest dreams.”
It was an extended rant, and I would encourage you to watch the entire segment. It was sad to see someone so certain that the Bible is so wrong. Let’s pray for the Lord to open Mr. O’Donnell’s eyes that he might see and understand the truth and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord in these last days before Christ’s return.
The Dinangat believers had blended some of their old beliefs with Bible lessons, but when missionary Gary Smith was checking a lesson from Ephesians 1:13 with his Dinangat co-worker, Ronnie, the Dinangat man’s eyes of understanding opened.
The verse reads, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were marked with the Holy Spirit of promise.”
When he heard that Ronnie sat up and said, “Wait, you mean it’s not with water? The Dinangat religious leaders had always said that by baptizing babies with water they would be protected from illness, evil spirits and even death. So we thought they were marked with water.”
Gary had not realized that the Dinangats had tried to blend old beliefs with new truth so he wanted to put a paragraph or two of explanation into the lesson. But Ronnie said, “Oh no, just say it’s not with water or anything.”
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” Ephesians 1:13
Church removes racial references in Book of Mormon headings
By Peggy Fletcher Stack
The Salt Lake Tribune
The LDS Church has made subtle — but significant — changes to chapter headings in its online version of the faith’s signature scripture, The Book of Mormon, toning down some earlier racial allusions.
The words “skin of blackness” were removed from the introductory italicized summary in 2 Nephi, Chapter 5, in describing the “curse” God put on disbelieving Lamanites.
Deeper into the volume, in Mormon, Chapter 5, the heading changes from calling Lamanites “a dark, filthy, and loathsome people” to “because of their unbelief, the Lamanites will be scattered, and the Spirit will cease to strive with them.”
Prof. Johan Malan, University of the North, South Africa
The only name
Amid all the false religions originating from the kingdom of darkness, the counterfeit Jesuses emerging from distortions of Christianity, the deadness of many apostate churches, and the deceiving spirits that lead millions of nominal Christians astray, the Lord Jesus Christ still stands out as the only shining light of a morally and spiritually dark world. He is the only real and lasting solution to an increasingly depraved human race that lies in the sway of Satan. Only in Jesus Christ and His unique gospel of salvation is true life to be found for all who are spiritually dead and slaves to sin:
· He is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (Jn. 14:6) to all who find themselves on the broad way that leads to destruction, and who cannot escape the alluring deceptions of Satan who blinds their mind and spirit. To all who come to Him He offers deliverance and life abundant.
· He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. You do not need to continue struggling with the bondage of your sins and iniquities, and to make futile efforts to rid yourself of the increasing bondage to sin which ultimately leads to death and hell.
· He is the eternal and immovable Rock of the Ages upon whom we can build our lives. The decadent nations of the world are challenged to come to Christ and base their constitutions, social systems and moral norms on Judeo-Christian law in these troubled times.
It is of vital importance to know the Lord Jesus Christ personally – not only as Lord and Saviour, but also as the true Friend who will never forsake you, the Shepherd who will lead and guide you, the Bridegroom who will come again to take you to heaven, the world’s coming King and also the many other roles in which He is revealed in the Bible.
Another appropriate title for “The Message,” could be The New Age “Bible.” There is so much New Age thought permeating “The Mess,” you couldn’t learn the Truth from it, no matter how hard you tried.
One piercing example of New Age doctrine occurs right in the middle of the Lord’s Prayer.
Containing metaphysical connotation, the phrase, “as above, so below”, is one of the most recognized in New Age philosophy. This motto is said to hold the key to all mysteries.
NazNet goes the way of the emerging church debunking of the Bible’s absolutes. Brian McLaren, popular voice for the emerging church, discounts what he calls “objective truth.” In other words, God’s absolutes in Scripture do not matter.
NazNet is parroting that blasphemy. Yet the Bible calls for faith in its being divine revelation, not to be added to or subtracted from. Therefore, those who sideline the Word of God will answer beneath the heel of divine wrath.
This video moved me to tears. It is an encouragement for those who belong to the Lord to see Him glorified so beautifully in song in the unlikeliest of places. I liken this video to things yet to come in two ways:
1). The beautiful worship of the Lamb that was slain by His redeemed one’s that will take place in Heaven.
2). This performance was done in spite of most in the mall where the glory of God was the furthest thing from their minds, much like those on the Day of Judgment will bow their knee and proclaim Jesus as Lord in spite of living their lives where the glory of God was the furthest thing from their minds. Those on Judgment Day will have no way to stop their compulsion to proclaim Jesus as Lord, much like those in the food court had no way to stop those who were singing praises of the risen Savior .
Most people, when they think of schizophrenia, associate it with a mental condition called Multiple Personality Disorder. In reality, schizophrenia has nothing to do with multiple personalities.
The dictionary provides two definitions for schizophrenia. The first is that of a severe mental disorder technically known as dementia praecox. Dementia praecox is the severest condition, where the victim becomes delusional; hallucinations, voices, that kind of thing.
The second definition is a mental state characterized by the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements. That’s the working definition I had in mind when I titled today’s briefing “Spiritual Schizophrenia.”
Answer: Lectio Divina is Latin for “divine reading,” “spiritual reading,” or “holy reading” and represents a method of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote communion with God and to provide special spiritual insights. The principles of lectio divina were expressed around the year A.D. 220 and practiced by Catholic monks, especially the monastic rules of Sts. Pachomius, Augustine, Basil, and Benedict.
The practice of lectio divina is currently very popular among Catholics and gnostics, and is gaining acceptance as an integral part of the devotional practices of the Emerging Church.
“Scripture contains no reference in which God promoted mystical practices. The gifts of the Spirit spoken of in the New Testament were supernatural in nature but did not fall within the confines of mysticism. God bestowed spiritual gifts without the Christian practicing a method beforehand to get God’s response….” -Ray Yungen
I’m doing what I can as a former Roman Catholic, whom the Lord graciously delivered from its religious bondage into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, to expose the rise in popularity within Protestant evangelicalism of practicing the neo-pietistic “spiritual disciplines”…
There was a very interesting comment on yesterday’s post regarding Carl Teichrib’s article about The Great Emergence conference and how it challenged the authority of the Bible. Here is the comment from a reader named Don:
If you take your authority from a book- which one is the right one? The jews have a bible, Muslims have a bible, Mormons have a bible, Indians have a bible, etc, etc etc. There are thousands of bibles in the world.
Think about that next time you assume yours is the right bible and thus the word of God. For what if your bible is the wrong one. Then everything it has been telling you is a lie, right. be careful bro.
peace out
don
Don is correct, there are lots of “bibles” out there. So which Bible is the one that contains the Word of God? Can we trust the Holy Bible?
They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 1 John 4:5
Episcopal Priest Ed Bacon says it’s a gift from God. So the popular minister says it, the famous Oprah ponders it, the enlightened guest accepts it, and the audience applauds it. It’s about spirituality, they say. Really? A gift, they say. The Word of God also says this is a gift, of sorts. Three times in the first chapter of Romans we read that “God gave them over” to what they wanted. So in this sense, the popular voices are correct, God will ‘give’ this to all those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
I. The river of paradise. The earthly paradise was well watered: no place can be pleasant or fruitful that is not so. This river is described,
1. By its fountain-head-the throne of God and the Lamb. All our springs of grace, comfort, and glory, are in God; and all our streams from him are through the mediation of the Lamb.
2. By its quality-pure and clear as crystal. All the streams of earthly comfort are muddy; but these are clear, salutary, and refreshing, giving life, and preserving life, to those who drink of them.
The Bible makes it very clear…
Muddy Streams 